A changing of the guard doesn't necessarily mean doom and gloom

Jeremy Lin, left, will be seeing a lot more court time with James Harden now that Lin is returning to the starting job. Lin has had a year to grow into the role.

Jeremy Lin, left, will be seeing a lot more court time with James...

The Rockets' goal of winning an NBA championship hasn't changed.

The odds of that happening, already long enough for it to be a mere dream, decreased significantly Friday with the sobering news point guard Pat Beverley will be out of the lineup indefinitely because of a knee injury.

Beverley, 25, the little engine that could defend, deflate and on occasion defang opposing point guards, is an important piece of the Rockets' puzzle.

Jeremy Lin, who was signed to be more of a contributor than the scorer-off-the-bench position to which he has been relegated, steps into the starting lineup. Rookie Isaiah Canaan, who has seen action in just 13 games, moves into the backup point slot.

The Rockets are weaker at point guard than all seven of the current Western Conference playoff teams, but their season is far from over. Even with Beverley, they're weaker at the position than at least six of the other playoff teams.

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The pressure on Lin to deliver isn't about being better than the rest. It is about him playing well enough to keep the Rockets, who have won 20 of their last 25 games, including five in a row, from faltering.

Lin's first test in his return to being a starter comes Saturday night against the Los Angeles Clippers' Chris Paul, the best player in the league not named LeBron James or Kevin Durant.

Lin's play could be even more crucial if Dwight Howard sits out. (With the playoffs just three weeks away, the Rockets would be wise to make Howard rest a sore ankle.)

Lin, 25, admitted he didn't handle the pressure of being considered a go-to star in his first season in Houston. The expectations, the hype, got to him.

Playing with a better team - the addition of Howard, the improvement of Chandler Parsons, the emergence of Terrence Jones and Beverley - has been good for Lin.

No longer a weak link

The move to the bench, where his contribution has not always been necessary for victory, has settled him down.

The Rockets have been good this season when Lin has started - 13-6 in games he started at the point - but they are more dangerous with him coming off the bench.

Despite not having an elite-level point guard, Kevin McHale on most nights could get away with relying on the hottest hand between Lin and Beverley, plus he had the option of playing them together in a small lineup that at times has been productive.

Even as a starter, Lin will be a role player. But, like stars, he will be talked about, pointed to and blamed if things do not go well.

Only his ardent and confused fans believe he is a star-level player, but detractors who refuse to recognize he can be quite good are equally baffling.

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